Sometimes we all need a hug
by Shadowdapple of Thunderclan
Summary: #KFPFRIEND16 Tigress has opened her heart to so many people. Po and Mei Xiang were the first to notice besides sweet little Lei Lei. Now nightmares are haunting her. What will she do? Sometimes a hug is all we need to make it better. It might help to understand if you read Diary of Mei Xiang. Rated T for safety. Please Read and review!
1. A hug from a daughter

Hey you guys, this is a short fanfiction for the Kung Fu Panda Fanfiction Competition. It'll be seven chapters long. I'm doing it based as Tigress as my main character this time. We will be going through her life from the time Mei Xiang from my story _Diary of Mei Xiang_ becomes her daughter. There will be several nightmares in this, so if there is anyone who loves scary things, then you guys are more than welcome to PM me on ways to make Tigress's nightmares more frightening. I hope you guys enjoy this. Don't forget to read and review!

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I knew that the contractions meant that it was time for me to go into labor. I just didn't know that it would hurt this much. It seems like only yesterday I found out I was pregnant. Then I had to tell Fang that we can't be together because my life is here not with him. After that, Mei Xiang and I became mother and daughter even though at the time, I didn't adopt her yet. Next came Shifu finding out. I was so worried about how he was going to react. My friends reacted really well, though. Po even offered to be the baby's "father" for me. I guess it makes sense because Mei Xiang also calls Po her baba too. When I came down with Blood Cough, I became close to the point of dying. Mei Xiang lost her daughter, Chun Hua, who also had it. The little one was only six. It makes me fear for my little one when he/she is born. I still get nightmares from being sick. The illness left me so weak that it has been almost a month and I'm still weak! Mei Xiang says that only time will heal my nightmares. I sure do hope so. I had one last night, so I am really tired.

I've been in labor since sunrise this morning. We were all in the kitchen when it happened. Today is Mei Xiang's birthday, so Po made us a special breakfast. He made sure I had extras and even extra vegetables since he wants me to be healthy. I was on my third helping of Chicken Secret Ingredient Noodle Soup when I felt a pop. Warm water rushed down my legs. That's when the pain started to come on fast. I started to gasp and pant. Viper came over asking "What's wrong, sister?" She noticed the pool of water and felt my stomach. Monkey and Mantis were watching suspensefully. They were already on their feet ready to go get Master Shifu and Mei Mei. "Mei Xiang, it's time!" she gasped. Mei Xiang jumped up and helped me up. Po came over and lifted me bridal style. Viper came with us and Crane left to go pick up Mei Mei and Naomi. Within a few short hours, Mei Mei and Naomi arrived. I could hear them greeting each other warmly outside the room as Mei Xiang gave them the run down of what we will be doing and who will be doing what. It's nice to know that Mei Mei will be cuddling my child long enough to have him/her cleaned and checked over. Mei Xiang will be the one doing most of the delivering. Naomi will be in charge of checking the baby over for any signs of health problems. Owlet is in charge of trying to keep me comfortable. Viper is in here with me because she is my friend and sister. Also, she can wrap herself around my body to pin me to the table if the need arises. They all come in and Po just about bursts through the door. "Hey is she OK!?" Mei Xiang turned around and eyed him sternly. "Baba, Ma needs to focus and that can't happen if you're in here. Go hang out with Waigong and Yeye." He nodded and asked us to let him know as soon as anything happens whether to Tigress or the baby. Mei Mei took over at that point. "Po, you'll know, now let us women get to work alright?" He nodded again and left the room only to start pacing the hallway. I rolled my eyes and couldn't help but feel a small burst of love towards the panda.

Po and I adopted sweet Mei Xiang. She is a white tiger who was abandoned by her abusive parents at the age of ten. Who knew that she was so strong and talented. In my painful moment, my daughter is here helping me through it. Who would've thought that me, Tigress, would become a mother? "Ma! You need to focus!" Mei Xiang snapped me out of my reverie. Her lithe black and white striped form was crouched next to my head, shaking me violently. Her daughters, Owlet and Naomi were also in the room with Mei Mei. I could barely make out Po's form pacing outside the room. All of a sudden, a strange sensation started to happen. I felt something moving downward from my womb. I knew that it must be the baby beginning to make its entrance into the world. It hurt like crap. I couldn't help but let out a scream of pain. Owlet fluttered over and started to fan my face with her wings. Apparently, while I was thinking on things, Mei Xiang told everyone how this is going to go. My little girl has been trained as a midwife so she knew exactly what was going to happen and all that. Mei Mei got the towels ready and a blanket. Naomi got the medical supplies ready. "Now Mom, this is going to hurt, but I need you to be hardcore for me." Mei Xiang was talking to me as if I was a child who was being told something very bad. Viper hissed from her spot around my middle. She wasn't tight around me but just ready in case she needed to pull. "I don't think it's going to be one baby, maybe there is another one." Mei Xiang looked rather curious so she pulled a small delicate white glove on her paw and did something rather embarrassing for me to even think. She reached her paw all the way into my womb to see how many I was going to have. Viper was right it seems because as soon as Mei Xiang's inspection was done, she drew the others close. They got a whole lot of extra supplies.

"On the count of three, Tigress, Push really hard!" They all ordered. I nodded. 1.2.3. PUSH! I pushed so hard that I felt as if my fur was on fire. We did this for what seemed like several hours when it was only about 10 minutes. Mei Xiang gave a call of seeing one baby. The next thing I heard was a loud crying sound. Mei Xiang stood up from her stool cradling a blood-soaked baby. "It's a girl, Ma." She passed her off to Mei Mei and Naomi. At that cry of my daughter, swelled my heart with so much joy. Then another wave of bone crushing pain crashed over me. I started to push when I was told too and I watched as Owlet left the room long enough to bring a long crib to lay my baby in. She told me that Po was at the noodle shop with Shifu, Ping, and the others waiting for news. I started feeling very sleepy. It was when a small shape with its umbilical cord wound tightly around its neck slithered into Mei Xiang's paws and the sad looks the others had that woke me back up. "What's wrong?" I asked them. Viper slithered up to my face and gently stroked my head with her tail tip. "This next one is dead. Mei Xiang is going to try something she has heard of people doing during delivery, but she has never tried it." I started to cry for my dead child. He/she would never know me or Po or its sister. Naomi came over and hugged me. It must have been something she learned from Mei Xiang before Master Storming Ox adopted her. I looked over towards Mei Xiang and saw that her eyes were closed in deep concentration and her paws were glowing gold against the dead baby. She was using Chi. We all found out when Chun Hua died that she tried to use her Chi to save both of us. It was very quiet for the next few moments, save for the baby in the crib softly whimpering every now and then. A noise broke the dead silence. It was a cry and the still form started to jerk and move uncontrollably. Mei Xiang snapped open her eyes and cleared the baby's mouth, nose, and lungs. She crooned softly to soothe the agitated infant. Handing the baby to Mei Mei, she crouched next to my head and chuffed affectionately. I did it back. She brought my baby back from the Spirit Realm. I'm going to have to ask Oogway how this happened when I get there. "She is going to be fine now." I smiled gratefully at that.

Mei Xiang returned to her stool to check on the position of the other infant. It was a rather painless one. I didn't even notice that I had a third baby until Owlet started to shake me awake. I was fading away pretty fast according to her. That alarmed me in a sense. Am I dying? Mei Xiang quickly got to work on seeing if that was all or not. I had one more baby to bring into this world. Mei Xiang started to push slightly on my womb to help me bring this last one. I barely heard her say, "Congratulations, Ma! You have three daughters and one son!" I passed out after that. What I had wasn't just the pure blackness, I was thrown into a nightmare. One I know.  
 _I was a dim room. I could hear Mei Xiang crying close by. There was a body laying on the bed next to me. I turned to get a closer look. It was Chun Hua. Her body was swollen huge and was oozing blood and pus. I backed away from the rotting smell of dead flesh. Running from the room, I saw Po, Shifu, and my children in a room. As I drew closer, every one of them was dead. They had huge gashes in their sides and throats. Po was still alive, though. I crouched next to him and his eyes met mine. They were hard and cold. "Why, did you let this happen to us? Why, Tigress? You should have protected us. Because of you, Tai Lung killed us all. Go see for yourself. He has Mei Xang prisoner. He wouldn't let any of us get near her. He wants you_ _." His eyes closed and I grabbed his paw trying to get him to stay with me. It was no use. He was gone._ _I wandered the Palace and saw my friends' bodies strewn on the ground in their fighting stances, dead. Grieving aloud, I went out to the courtyard and saw Tai Lung and Mei Xang. She was pinned to the ground in his huge claws. He sneered as he saw me walk up. "Come to see your precious daughter die?" NO! I lunged forward to fight him off of her, but he raked his claws across my face. As soon as I landed on the ground, dazed I had no choice but to watch him kill her. He ripped her apart limb from limb and laughed maniacally as her blood soaked the earth. I cried for the horrible death of my dear daughter. Tai Lung turned and began to stalk towards me. HIs eyes were hungry for my blood._

I awoke in a cold sweat, tears streaming down my face. It was nightfall now. Mei Xiang was in a chair next to my bed watching me. "Shush, it's okay." She soothed as she wiped my tears away. What happened. I explained to her my nightmare and a small look of understanding dawned in her eyes. "I've had dreams like those before too. When I was hurt remember? You would always be right there for when I woke up from one. You would hold me and tell me that everything was going to be alright. That made my nightmares go away." She sat on my bed and wrapped her arms around me tightly in a hug and she whispered something in my ear that I heard her tell Chun Hua when we were sick. "I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. In my heart, you shall be forever and for always." That made me feel so much better. Mei Xiang drew the crib close to the bed and brought out the four babies I love with all my heart before having met them. "Here is the first born." She handed my first born daughter. I named her Zinnia which means colorful flowers in honor of Chun Hua and Ming Hua. I cuddled her close to my heart as the second one was introduced. This one was named Flicka because she is lucky. The third one was the one I hardly knew about. Mei Xiang seemed to have a special place in her heart for this one. "Ma, this one is the third born daughter. She is also blind." I gently took her too from Mei Xiang and gave her the name Wren, meaning songbird. The fourth born was my son. He looks the most like Fang. He was named Minzhe. For I have a hunch that my boy is going to be sensitive and wise. There was a soft knock at the door and Po popped his head in. "Is she awake? If so, y'all want some yummy Secret Ingredient Soup? My dads are both over we all want to see your beautiful gifts, Tigress after you have been fed." So we had soup and everyone came in to admire Tigress's son and daughters. Mei Xiang's traveling family came over to see them. Wolfess was still too little to really care, but Mei Xiang did enjoy getting to see her precious baby again. After things had quieted down, I laid in bed holding my sweet little gifts. I couldn't help but run my paw over each face in wonder. Po is moving his bed into my room now so that if one of the infants wakes up in the night, he can get one and see whether it needs to be fed or not. Po is a really great friend and I can't wait to get married to him. I guess with this day, I forgot that we are engaged. Master Shifu wanted to get Mei Xiang a picture for her birthday, so what would be better than one of all of us together. So we had a family picture to give Mei Xiang for her birthday. As I fell asleep tonight, I can't help but think of the hug Mei Xiang gave me after my nightmare. It did help. I felt so comforted and no nightmares bugged me tonight. When I woke up the next morning, I looked over at Po who was snoring next to me. He had all four bundles in his arms. Looks like I was dead to the world, during the night, so he took care of them. I gently picked them all up and laid them back in their crib. Then I curled myself on top of Po's stomach and let out a happy purr. Pressing, my head under his chin, I felt two furry arms, wrap around me and squeeze slightly. "Morning, Ti." I looked up and Po kissed my nose. I smiled back and purred softly, "Morning, Panda."


	2. Father's hugs

_I can't breathe. I'm trying as hard as I can to reach for air. There is nothing but water around me. A shape brushes against me. Po? No, it can't be. It is him. His eyes are full of so much disappointment and love that it hurts me. I feel guilty and I don't know why. I reach out to touch him and my paw goes straight through. I snatch my paw back in surprise and fear. He just vanished into nothing. I pinched myself to make sure that my paw didn't go through me. It hurt, but at least I know that I'm solid. I curl into a small ball the best I can in this floating water world._

 _I feel a deep urge to just open my mouth and breathe in the water. My lungs need air. Fighting to find the surface, I start thrashing about. My head breaks the surface of the water to find that it wasn't water I was drowning in, but blood. A massive hill of bones stood on the shore. I tried to reach it to find that the tide of blood was sucking me back down. Giving one last desperate attempt, I flung myself ashore. Scrabbling fro a foothold among the bones, I heaved myself out of the river of blood. I climbed to the very top to see a very horrendous sight. Everyone I ever knew and loved was out in the river, dead. They had huge claw and bite marks on them that poured blood into the steadily rising river of blood._

 _Lord Shen and Tai Lung were on the opposite shore watching me coolly. "Well what do you know, you truly are a monster."_ Tai _lung shouted across the eerie void. "What are you talking about? I wasn't the one who did all this." Shen just shook his head and smirked. Oh, how I wanted to claw that look off his face. I let out a small growl to let him know what I was thinking. "You did this, you monster," he said. I looked down to find that my claws were out and had bits of flesh in them. I also had fur in my fangs from biting. No. Nononononononono. It can't be true. I can't be a monster. I backed away from the river full of blood and floating bodies and them. My paws slipped and I tumbled ungraciously down the hill of bones. "Mama?" I turned to find my daughter, Mei Xiang watching me from a few feet away. "Are you okay?" She started to walk towards me. Oh, how I wanted to tell her to run away from me. I growled savagely and lunged. Fear lit up her blue eyes and as I fastened my teeth in her throat, I could hear her gurgling cry, "What did I do, Mama? Why are you doing this? Why are you a monster? Help me!"_

I awoke in a cold sweat. It has been a long time since anyone has called me a monster. My own daughter called me one as I took her own life. I glance over to find that Po has taken Wren, Minzhe, and Flicka from the room. I smell something smelly and realize that it was their diapers and myself. Crap. I peed myself out of fear. Last time that happened, I was a young child first at the Palace before Shifu and Oogway managed to help me control myself. I sighed in exasperation and gathered up the soiled bedding. I jumped out the window and snuck to the disposal area. Then I grabbed new sheets and put them on the bed. I managed to do it quietly because I knew Viper was up helping Po change the diapers and the fact that It was midnight. I also didn't want anyone to see me in my embarrassing state. After that was over I changed pants and climbed out the window and strolled to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom.

Beautiful flute music reached my ears. Shifu was there. Good, maybe he can help me understand this. I walked up behind him and curled up on the ground next to his staff. His ear twitched and he stopped playing long enough to look down at me. Shifu jumped off the staff and took a seat next to me. "What's bothering you, Tigress." I looked at him and gazed out at the distant mountains where she may be lost, hoping someone is looking for her. "It has been almost a month since Mei Xiang was taken from me. Any news?" He smiled sadly and shook his head. "Now Tigress, Mei Xiang is 16 years old now. She can take care of herself. We both know that she has been doing that for years.

You and I also know that her disappearance is not the only reason for you to be out here." I sighed in defeat and told him about my nightmare. He patted my arm sympathetically. I stiffened under his touch for a moment but then relaxed. I have to get used to us having a father- daughter relationship. "You've had this nightmare before haven't you?" I nodded without saying anything. I've had this nightmare every night since Mei Xiang was abducted. I don't know why, though. "Maybe, Oogway is trying to tell you something about her." I looked incredulously at him. "Then why would Lord Shen and Tai lung be in it?" Shifu looked thoughtful for a few moments, stroking his beard. "They may be interfering his message and are probably twisting it into something horrible." I nodded again and replied, "They have me so scared that I soiled myself! I haven't done that in so long." Shifu just smiled sympathetically.

"Let me tell you a little secret. When you were little, you would take walks through the bamboo forest at night and through the village. I was so scared that something would happen to you. Oogway told me each time that you would be fine. I never believed him, so I followed you. I never let you know that I was there. Once you started to head back to the Palace I would head back so that I would get there before you. I did that every night until you got older and I knew that I didn't have to worry about you." His words touched me. I felt somewhat comforted to know that he knew what I was going through and that he worried over me when I took my walks at night as a child. I leaned my head over and laid it softly on his shoulder. His tiny arms wrapped around me and I wrapped my arms around him. My baba's hugs can always assure me that everything is going to be okay.


	3. Sister's wedding embrace

"Tigress?" A gentle voice woke me up. I've never been more relieved to see Viper's face before me than ever before. Shuddering, I turned my face away from hers and tried to banish the haunting scene in my mind's eye. Viper slithered over and cupped my face with her tail. "Is everything alright, sister? Today is the day you and Po get married. You should be excited! Is it because the four little warriors aren't going to be with you? Mei Mei and I will take great care of them. You know we will." I sat up on my bed and she slithered back and weaved up on my bed. "It's not that, Viper. I had those nightmares again. Ya knows, from when I had Blood Cough." Viper nodded softly and slithered closer. "It'll help if you talk about it." I swallowed, not sure of whether I really wanted to or not. "Come on Ti, please tell me. I hate seeing you like this." Gathering up my courage I finally gave into Viper's gentle urgings. "It started off in the training hall."

 _"Tigress go spar with Po. Mei Xiang, you, Viper, and Mantis spar on the Jade Tortoise of Wisdom." "Yes, Master." We all jumped to our places. "So, Po wanna go out for dinner tonight? I can get Viper to watch the kids." He just gave me a weirded out and slightly guilty look. I have the feeling that he is hiding something from me. "Um, sorry, Tigress but I have to go help my dad out at his restaurant tonight. Maybe tomorrow we can?" I felt slightly hurt. Mr. Ping has given Po off time from helping him out since he and I gave him "_ _grandchildren_ _." We stopped talking when Shifu cleared his throat. So after sparring for several hours, Shifu gave us the rest of the day off. Po and I walked back to our room to see Zeng struggling to calm down my four crying infants. "Goodness, Tigress, I thought Shifu was going to keep y'all forever today!" I smiled amusedly as Zeng walked out of the room. Po helped me calm them down, but he seemed standoffish. As if he was trying to distance himself from the kids. I decided to follow him tonight to see what was really going on. I walked to Viper's room with my four to see if she wouldn't mind_ _watching_ _them_ _for the night._

 __ _She_ _and Crane were in their talking. Crane was trying to help Viper with her_ _collagraphy_ _. "Hey Vi, I need to step out for a bit and Po has to help out at his dad's restaurant tonight. Would you mind watching the kiddos for a little while?" She and Crane smiled broadly and_ _said_ _: "Sure, Tigress, We'd love too." I laid them all on her mat and Crane dragged his nest into the room to help make it easier. I smiled and thanked them and started to head out. In the Village, I wasted time walking through the market. I_ _bought_ _some toys for my babies and a thing for Mei Xiang. I caught her looking at a pretty blue choker with a diamond in the middle the other day when we went grocery shopping._ _So_ _I_ _bought that for her. When the sun was setting, was when I saw Po walking down the Thousand steps. He was acting very normal until he got close to his dad's noodle_ _shop_ _. That was when he did something_ _suspicious_ _, he walked past it and into an_ _alleyway_ _. It was then that I jumped_ _on top_ of a roof and started to follow him.

He was walking into the forest. Every now and then he would stop and look around as if to check to see if he was being followed. I stalked behind him making sure that I was in the shadows. At a broken Bamboo tree _, he stopped. "Song, are you there?" The snow leopard stepped out from behind the tree and hugged Po. "It's so good to see you again. I almost couldn't get away." Po nodded and kissed her. "I almost couldn't get away either. I had to say that I was going to work at my dad's restaurant tonight." She took him by the hand and they walked_ _a ways_ _from the tree. "So have you decided on what you are going to do? You know that it isn't fair to me or Tigress for you to be seeing us both. You are going to have to choose." Po's normally cheerful face grew somber for a moment then brightened. "I choose you, Song. Tigress can find someone else._ _After all,_ _she broke my heart, so this shouldn't bother her much." I'll move my stuff back to my old room tomorrow." Song's eyes grew very bright and they shared a very passionate kiss._

"And that was when you woke me up." Viper curled herself around me softly and squeezed gently. "Tigress, I think I know why you had a nightmare about Po leaving you. Apart of it is because you had some other guy's kids and then you were abandoned by your own birth parents before Shifu adopted you, right?" I nodded. "I don't want him to leave me. I don't know how I would handle it. He is my life now apart from the cubs. Viper, what does it all mean?" She smiled gently and gave me one piece of information that I will always be grateful for. "If Po ever tries to leave you for some other girl because you had your cubs and they're not his and you broke his heart by getting pregnant with them, then he will be in major trouble. Not only will Shifu bring destruction down on his head, but I will be next in line. Monkey, Mantis, and Crane will be helping too because you were their friend and sister first before meeting Po. That means he'll get his butt kicked by more than one Kung Fu Master and both of his fathers will have a word with him about it. Mr. Ping because he adopted Po when Po was abandoned when he could have easily just left him there in the radish box. Li Shan will tell him that love is stronger than everything and if he truly loved you then he would be willing to look past your past mistakes and love you for you." I nodded and Viper got off of me so that I could get up. "Now let's get you ready for your wedding." Once I was ready, Viper sighed in satisfaction and admiration. I looked in the mirror and saw a beauty that only Viper could show. It showed me but it also showed the beauty that is on the inside of me. Viper slithered her way around my waist one more time and rested her head on my shoulder. "Everything will turn out alright between the two of you, Tigress. I just know it." After the embrace, we walked out to go to the village where the wedding would be taken place.


	4. A husband's comforting hug

_I can hear her calling me. I finally managed to find her. If I lose her now, I will never forgive myself. Whoever stole her are going to regret it. "Ma! Are you there? Ma! I need you! Help ME!" Her desperate cries pounded my ears and tore my heart. "Mei Xiang, Kepp talking! I am coming, sweetie!" I started to run through the dark murky forest. I could hear her wails, but they seemed to be getting further away. I chased after her, following the sound of her voice. She seemed to be in pain and in fear. I pushed myself harder, determined to reach her in time. A mountain rose up out of the gloomy darkness. Halfway up the side, stood her captors. They were a band of misfits. Some I easily recognized from Temutai's group and others I didn't._

 _They had her by the neck in a choke hold. Her legs kicked the air in a futile attempt to get free. "Let her go!" I screeched. I jumped up a tree to try to jump onto a ledge on the mountainside. Her kidnappers just laughed like the stupid idiots they were. Couldn't they see that you never mess with a mother and her baby? The idiots climbed up the mountainside, dragging her away from me and getting further away from my wrath. I took a flying leap and started to climb up the rocky slope. The group let out an alarm call and sent a rock avalanche falling down towards me. I buckled under the weight and fell, crashing down the mountain and onto the forest floor. I moved the rocks away from my head, so I could look up. Mei Xiang screamed my name once before the person holding her struck her silent. They disappeared into the sky. I couldn't reach her in time. One kidnapper came back long enough to send another rockslide coming down. I screamed, "NO!" As the rocks came down, the world became black._

I awoke panting. I wasn't in my room and I couldn't hear my quadruplets soft breathing anywhere either. That's when it dawned on me. Po and I went out on another search mission for our missing daughter. She was kidnapped two years ago from us. We have been looking for her ever since. Po came walking over to me from the fire with a bowl of soup. "Breakfast. I sent Crane out on an aerial search for her or any villages where we might ask if they have seen her. " I nodded numbly, still too shaken up from my dream. Po's brow furrowed in concern. "Ti, what's wrong?" I looked up at him and back down. He sat down next to me and gently placed a paw on mine. "I had a nightmare again, Po. This time, though, I saw her kidnappers but I couldn't reach her in time. They buried me under a rock slide. She sounded as if she was in pain." Tears welled up and threaten to spill over. Po gently wiped my cheek with his thumb and softly spoke, "We'll find her. I have a hunch that today is the day our little girl is going to come home." He wrapped me up in a hug and I allowed my tears to fall. His arms were warm and soft and I never felt so comforted than in my husband's arms.


	5. A son-in-law's 'I'm Sorry hug

He was just laying there. "Are you alright, kid?" I nudged him softly to get a response. The blood red-brown cheetah turned his head towards me. "I know you. She spoke of you often. You are Tigress." I crouched down next to him to try to stop the blood flowing from a wound in his stomach. "How do you know me?" Instead of answering my question, he looked at something behind me. It was more like someone. The young teenage boy tried to push me away, but as I felt the hard blow of a weapon connect with my head, I twisted around and lunged. We fought for about maybe 30 minutes before he ran away. The weapon he struck me with was a frying pan. Seriously?! You don't bring a frying pan to fight a Kung Fu master unless you are Mr. Ping. I felt the back of my head and my hand came back red. He got pretty lucky with that first strike. Getting slightly dizzy, I made my way back to the other feline who was still laying on the ground.

"You were attacked weren't you?" He nodded. "What's your name, and how do you know me?" He drew one name in the dirt between us. Mei Xiang. "I love her. I proposed to her 2 years ago when I rescued her from her kidnappers. She said yes. She didn't know when was the right time to tell her family, so I was heading my way there today to talk to them and do things the right way. " I was shocked at this bit of information. He groaned in pain and tried to press on his stomach wound. I stopped him and pressed on it for him. He sighed in misery. "I can't believe, that I am never going to be able to tell her 'I love you', I was really looking forward to that moment. We are soulmates. " I murmured sympathetically. My head was steadily getting fuzzier. "What is your name, so that I can let her know." He turned and looked at me. I felt as if he could see right down into the very bottom of my soul. "My name is Naoko."

The boy was dying. I knew that there wasn't much to do, his wound is fatal. As his eyes were closing for the last time, I leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I am her mother. I will let her know that you are safe in the Spirit Realm. She really does love you. She would talk about her hero all the time, but her father and I could never figure out who. Thank you for saving my baby." He reached his arms up and encircled my neck and hugged me weakly, "I'm sorry for leaving her. I will always be with her, though. Tell her that please?" Those were his last words and I promised to tell her. I finished closing his eyes and moved his arms off of me. As I stepped away, I fell to my knees. I was going to pass out. I saw Shifu running towards me from across the blood-soaked clearing. He must have been worried because normally if I am sent to go rescue a person who is injured, I'm back at the Palace rather quickly. I collapsed on my side just as he reached me. "Tigress!" He called. I barely heard him. The dark curtain was already falling.

 _I was floating in the darkness. I could hear screams of pain and grief surrounding me. I was becoming frightened. I called out to them to see if they would answer. Nothing but the screams. An image of Mei Xiang surrounded by three faceless cubs with a grief-stricken face rose out of the gloom. Then I heard Tai Lung calling my name. "Tigress, Come here." I turned around and looked, but no one was there. I jumped as a clap of thunder rolled by. A flash of lightning lit up Tai Lung. He looked different. He was covered in chains but his eyes were red instead of orange. He growled and as I drew, near lashed out a paw. I drew back a couple of paces. He spoke to me in a velvety voice. "I'm going to kill your loved ones. One by one they will fall. That cheetah was in the way today. The next person to die will be Shifu. You better watch your back, otherwise, I might scare you." I backed away and started to run away from him. I landed into someone's shell. I backed away saying sorry only to find that it was empty. The shell was Oogway's and it was empty. I screamed in fear and turned around to find myself face to face with the one person I have always been helpless against unless we were fighting. Tai Lung._

I jumped awake, breathing hard with my heart pounding almost out of my chest. The close view of Tai Lung's face in that nightmare will always be etched in my brain. Shifu was asleep in the chair next to me. I looked around to find that I was back at the Palace. Po and Mei Xiang were talking in the hallway. They opened the door and walked in. "Ma! You're awake at last!' Mei Xiang ran over and threw herself into my arms. Po came over and kissed my head. "Glad to see you doing better, Ti. You gave everyone a serious fright. Now you have some answers about who else was lying in that clearing when Shifu found you." I nodded solemnly and Mei Xiang backed up to stand next to Po. I took a deep breath to tell the thing I had to tell because I knew the pain it was going to cause Mei Xiang. "You two know that I was sent out on a rescue mission to retrieve a young boy who was attacked in the forest. Well, I went there and I tried to stop the blood flow from the wound until I could get him to the village. I was attacked by a bandit. I fought him off but he hit me on the head with a frying pan. He hit me hard enough to cause me to bleed and to pass out. The boy and I were talking. He was saying that he knew me. I just thought that he was delirious from the pain. But after the fight, he told me who he was. Po, he was the person who saved our little girl." Mei Xiang looked from me to Po. Her eyes bright with pain and disbelief.

I knew that I had to tell her the hardest part. "Mei Xiang, Naoko wanted me to tell you this before he died. He said that he is sorry for leaving you and that he will always be with you. He loves you very much. " Her eyes filled with tears and she choked out a response. "I loved him too. We were planning on telling everyone that we were engaged today. He is my soul mate." I looked at her gently and reached out to place my hand on her shoulder. She threw her head back in a shrill bone-chilling wail of grief and collapsed on the floor crying. "I-loved-him-so-much." she managed to choke out in another wail of pain. Po left the room to call Crane over. He was going to have Crane go fetch the body. Naoko is family now, so we might as well bury him close by. Shifu woke up just then. Crane walked in with Po. He placed a wing over Mei Xiang's body in comfort as he stood ready to be told where the body was. I turned to Shifu. "Where is the body of the boy? He is Mei Xiang's fiancee basically. They were soul mates. Po and I feel that it is only right to bury him close by in honor since he also was the one who saved her from her kidnappers." Shifu looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "I covered it with my cloak and marked it with a flag at the clearing. " Crane looked from one to the other until he just said that he was going to go find the flag.

Within 20 minutes, Crane brought the body back. By that point. Everyone in the palace had been notified. Mei Xiang was a wreck the whole time. When she saw his body, she threw herself down next to his and stroked his fur while telling him that she loved him. Po and I grabbed onto each other for support. This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.


	6. Grandchildren's hugs

It is storming outside. I remember being little and being so frightened of the thunder. It sounded like a giant compared to me. I always was believed to be a monster back then when I was at the orphanage. When I would run scared to Shifu, Tai lung would laugh at me and call me a scaredy cat. He was right, I was a scaredy cat. I was terrified of the thunder. Shifu would put me down when I tried to crawl into his lap and he told me that I was safe. The thunder couldn't harm me here. Then he would send me back to bed. I never went back to him after he started to tell me to go to bed. I learned to get over my fear of the thunder. Sometimes, though, when I'm by myself and it is storming really hard, I get scared. I don't tell anyone because I am supposed to be Tigress, Master of Hardcore. Shifu sent us out earlier today to help anyone with damages from the storm that is still raging outside. I was asked to stay behind to care for my grandchildren.

We found out that Mei Xiang was pregnant with Naoko's children about three months after his death. Po and I couldn't really be upset because it gave her a reason to live again. We were so worried about her for the longest time. Now she is the mother of triplets. Two girls and one little boy. The boy looks the most like his father save for a couple of white spots. His name is Jun named after his father in a sense. Naoko's name meant honest and Jun's means truth. Jun's sisters are Xiaozhi and Zhilan. They are precious little girls. They have their mother's fire.

Right now, I am watching the rain outside thinking. Wren, Minzhe, Zinnia, and Flicka are playing with their nieces and nephew for right now. My four are 6 now. That means that Jun, Xiaozhi, and Zhilan are 3 years old. They always want stories of their baba. Every time they are around, I keep thinking of when Naoko died. I don't tell them about that. Mei Xiang is their mama, so she needs to tell them what happened to him.

 _Two cloaked figures walk away in the storm. I stretch out my tiny arms and cry out. One of them looks back. Tears fill her eyes and she tries to go and pick me back up. The other dark figure stops her. They share words and he allows her to come to me. She gently lifts me up. I coo happily and place my paws on her face. She smiles and kisses my head. The other cloaked figure walks up behind her. I notice that he is wearing the armor of the imperial city. He places his huge paw on my hand and chuffs affectionately. His eyes reflect my face and I see that I am a tiny baby swaddled in a pink blanket. His eyes were the color of the stone building we were gathered by. The female's eyes were a mirror of my own. The male tiger strode to the door and knocked loudly. He motioned for the female tiger to put me back down. Grief crossed her face, but she did as she was told._

 _They walked quickly away this time without looking back. I was completely alone. The thunder was loud and I became very frightened. I wanted my ma and my baba. Lightning flashed and it lit up the gray stone building eerily. I flinched as the lightning felt like it came too close to my body. I started to cry, hoping people would come get me. I wished my mama and baba would come back and get me. I don't want to be here. I want to be home. A goat answered the door. She looked around before looking down. Fear crossed her face before she turned to close the door. I let out a pitiful mewl. I didn't care if she was a goat or not, I didn't want to be left out here any longer. She turned back around and scooped me up. "Shush now little tigress. Now let's see, there's no note with you so we'll call you, Tigress." I buried my face in her wool when a loud clap of thunder rolled by followed by a flash of lightning._

"Waipo!" I awoke to three small furry shapes huddling in my lap. A loud clap of thunder crashed overhead and they squealed in fear. I could see my four huddling together no too far away. Wren was clinging to Minzhe and he was protecting her. Her sightless fiery orange-red eyes flicking around softly. They didn't always come to me much anymore when there were storms. I showed them that it couldn't harm them when they were frightened. I must have dozed off. Was what I dreamed a nightmare or a memory?

"What's wrong my dears?" Three pairs of eyes looked up at me. One pair was light turquoise, one blue-gray, and the third was a golden warm amber. "The thunder scares us, Waipo, the storm makes us frightened," said Xiaozhi. She always was the shyest of the trio. Zhilan nodded and buried her head under my arm. Jun looked up and he said softly, "Is daddy up there? Is he upset? Is that why there is a storm?" I swallowed softly. He put me on the spot. I didn't want to tell them about their father's death until they were older. I took a deep breath and told what may have to be the second hardest thing for me to do. 'Yes, your baba is up there. He isn't upset, sweetie. Sometimes a storm is just a storm." Zhilan mumbled from her place under my arm, "Where is baba? Did-Did he not want us? Is that why mama is so sad?" I stroked their heads with my tail before replying. "No, your baba loved you and your mama very much. He got hurt very bad not long before you were born. He didn't make it. He told me to promise that I would tell your mama that he loved her and that he would always be with her. That's why at night, you might see her staring at the sky. She is looking for the star that would resemble him. He is in the Spirit Realm right now watching over each one of you."

They climbed into my lap all the way and curled into my neck. I positioned myself so that I could cradle all three of them. The storm was beginning to end at last. I could smell the fresh musty smell of the earth after it has been washed of its impurities. The rain was beginning to dissipate. I was silent for a while pondering on a way to help them to not be frightened of storms when a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. I knew that Mei Xiang loved watching them after a storm. I had a lightbulb moment. 'Look at the sky, you three, and tell me what you see." They uncurled themselves from around me just enough so that they could look outside. "A rainbow!" They all chorused at once. I smiled happily at the happiness that they seemed to be radiating now. 'Your mama loved to watch a rainbow after a storm. It made her feel like the worst part was over. It gave her hope. So whenever you are frightened, look for a rainbow. I'm sure then, that you'll no longer be scared." They smiled at one another then at me. My four joined us then. They settled around us and we all just laid back and watched the rainbow.


	7. The last embrace

Here it is, my last chapter. I'm kinda going to miss Tigress. Hope you guys enjoyed this and don't forget to review!

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 _I'm so cold. I can't even imagine what it was like to be warm again. Snow swirls around me as I struggle and flounder through the powder. Night falls and I curl into a ball to wait for the sun to rise. A beautiful day with a tiny bedraggled group hidden among the bushes trying to brave the cold. A clear sky with a soft breeze tickles the travelers' faces and the bite of the cold_ _brings_ _them to a close huddle to gather warmth. Through the lush green_ _valleys_ _, they walked. The leader glances back every now and then to check on her new little family before tucking the blanket tighter around the infant she is holding tightly. Climbing high up the mountainside, they tried to glimpse the near horizon where a new home awaited them with loving arms. They knew not exactly where they were going, only from what their leaders knew. They trusted them to bring themselves out of the deserted wasteland. The snow excites the young ones as they dash around the older ones and the elder children keep an eye out for food as well as hostile strangers. A beautiful day doesn't always mean that there won't be_ _pain_.

I can see the group. They are tigers _. I try to find_ _anyone_ _in the group that_ _would_ _resemble me, and I think I found my ma. She is so old and_ _frail_ _, though. A young tiger turns back and helps her through the snow. I try to call out to my mother. My cries fall on deaf ears. Then my mother stops moving. She glances back behind her_ _with_ _remorse. The tiger helping her_ _tries_ _to nudge her along, but my mother refuses to move before eventually_ _collapsing_ _on the ground. My heart screams in pain at seeing her fall and then I am able to walk forward. I notice that the group doesn't have the_ _appropriate_ _winter clothing to travel. They are weak and_ _undernourished_ _. The leader looks back again and there is_ _pain_ _in her eyes as she_ _sees_ _the older tiger dead on the snow. She instructs the other adult tigers to not let the younger ones see the body. Then she looks straight at me. A spark of knowing lights up her gaze and then is gone. I call out to her, but she never turns back around again. The young baby tiger in her arms was white and I could see its eyes. They were_ _turquoise_ _blue. That baby looked so familiar._

I awoke shivering, still feeling as if I was traveling with the group of tigers. A silver-flecked black arm pulls another quilt up to my chin. I can hear the owner of that arm talking to someone else in that room. "Tigress, love, can you hear me?" I weakly moved my head and saw Po's face hovering next to mine. I smiled and brushed a paw against his cheek. He smiled with sad eyes and beckoned someone over. 'She is slipping rather quickly. It is time to say goodbye." Po helps me sit up and he motions over to where the other person was standing. It was Mei Xiang and her children. They were all teens now, though. My children were there too. They were adults. I had two other children and they were now 6 years old. Meiying and Huan were the two beautiful children that Po and I had. Mei Xiang called her other children over and the rest of my friends gathered. Crane and Mantis were the only two left of our group that was still alive. Viper passed 4 years ago and Monkey not too long after.

"Mama, it's me, Mei Xiang. I just wanted to let you know that we love you and that it's okay for you to leave us now. " She leaned over and kissed my nose. Backing away she ushered all of her children forward. They were silent, but I could tell the love they had for me. They stroked my silver and white flecked fur. Xiaozhi murmured as they all were leaving, "We love you so much, Waipo." My children came next. Wren couldn't see me, but her eyes reflected the pain she was feeling. They all leaned over to kiss me and give me gentle hugs. Crane and Mantis walked up next. "Hey, Tigress. Tell Monkey and Viper that we still miss them down here." They both hugged me. What they didn't want to say aloud, I knew was what they were telling me in their heart. Everybody stepped out to give me and Po a moment alone.

"Po, do you still love me?" "Of course I do, Tigress. I loved you from the time I first set my eyes on you. Yeah, you weren't the nicest person to be around, but I knew that was because you needed someone to show you niceness. When you took that shot for me in Gonmen, I was so relieved to know that you were still alive. I knew then that I loved you more than just a fanboy." Tears welled up in my eyes. "I guess I should have apologized to you too. I'm sorry for every mean thing I have ever said or thought about you. I love you too, Po. I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you." Po's eyes started to well up with tears too. "I wish that you could stay here with me too. But I don't want you to suffer anymore. I will always love you, Tigress. I will wait for the day when I too can join you." I kissed his nose and he pressed his black lips against mine. "I love you to the Spirit Realm and back. I'll wait for you to join me my dragon warrior." I closed my eyes as Po drew me in a gentle hug. That was the last thing I felt.

The next time I opened my eyes, Shifu and Oogway stood before me. "Welcome, home, daughter," Shifu said. "Tigress!" A streak of vibrant green flashed across the warm light and wrapped itself around my waist. "Viper!" I placed my arms around her and hugged her back. A light tap on the shoulder brought me to look around. "What no hug for me?" Monkey stood before me. He no longer betrayed the terrible illness that he was fighting for so long. "Monkey, get in here!" I grabbed the Simian by the tail and dragged him into the hug. Soon others joined us. Everybody that I knew and loved was there. Chun Hua with her rosy cheeks was bouncing around happily. Then they parted to let a group come through. At the head was the leader in my dream. Everyone in that group was there. Shifu walked to my side. "This is your family, Tigress and a part of Mei Xiang's family too. A small black and gray tiger walked out from behind Oogway. I recognized her from the painting Mei Xiang had. It was her sister. I was with my loved ones finally. I turned back to look at the mists behind me. "I'll wait for you forever, Po. I promise."


End file.
